A Doll House: Nora

Henrik Ibsen’s play “A Doll House” tells the story of Nora, a housewife who becomes so exasperated with her husband and the life she is living that she decides to leave. From the beginning of Act 1 to the end of Act 3 (the end of the play) the way in which Nora interacts with her husband Helmer changes dramatically. The question is whether or not her character truly changes or if she simply reaches the point at which she can take no more and finally expresses her real feelings.
In Act 1 we are presented with Nora and Helmer conversing and in a very quaint manner. We are to assume that their entire marriage is exemplified in this conversation. Helmer refers to Nora as his “little lark”, ...

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she has been “breaking rules” by eating a macaroon or two, which she denies. This shows us that Helmer’s control over Nora goes so far as to include the forbidding of sweets. More importantly, it shows us that Nora willfully disobeys Helmer’s wishes. It is in this small exchange that we see a hint of Nora’s character and that perhaps she is more than she appears to be. Through Nora’s conversation with Mrs. Linde in Act 1 we find out that, unbeknownst to Helmer, Nora procured the money for their trip to Italy without the assistance of her father as everyone assumed. Later, Nora has a conversation with Krogstad and he reveals that she forged her father’s name on a bond, a very serious crime. This fact is the play’s conflict and it results in the climax of the play in Act 3.
In Act 2 Krogstad learns that Nora was unable to convince Helmer not to fire him. Because of this he leaves a letter to Helmer explaining everything about Nora and the fact that she actually borrowed the two ...

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